Can wooden wind towers make renewable energy even cleaner?

Standing 150 metres tall and featuring a two-megawatt generator capable of powering some 400 homes, the structure is comprised of laminated wooden modules which are easy-to-stack and transport.

Swapping out the carbon emissions related to steel production for deforestation isn’t great, granted, but Modvion claims to use spruce from sustainably managed forests, in which re-growth exceeds the rate of logging.

Boasting a higher strength to weight ratio than its traditional counterpart, the towers enable lighter construction and can be assembled using a small crane. Its segments are also joined using glue rather than thousands of bolts, and a coat of watertight paint protects it from the elements.

Despite being markedly less durable than steel, the massive savings on production costs can be put into building the structures as tall as possible. In theory, wooden towers could be built as high as 1,500 metres, though current demand calls for closer to 150-200 metres.

Unsurprisingly, the difference in life cycle emissions is the greatest upside. While regular wind turbines usually offload roughly 1,250 tons of CO2, wooden towers slash this volume by 90% to around 125 tons.

When the time comes for the latter to be decommissioned, the wood can find new life as high-strength beams for Sweden’s building industry.

So, there we have it. The pros seem to far outweigh the cons. Whether wooden turbines can holistically replace steel remains to be seen, but it’ll make a fine addition to our renewable efforts regardless.